Chapter 411: You didn't expect that, did you?

Gu Xixi was going to cook, and Lv Jing kept nervously at the side.

"Otherwise, hand me the knife, or I'll do the cutting."

Gu Xixi stopped, both amused and helpless, saying, "Don't worry, I guarantee I won't cut myself."

Immediately everyone understood why she couldn't cut herself.

Smacked cucumber, true to its name, is simply smashing the cucumber with a knife, then randomly chopping a few times into small pieces.

Persimmon is even safer to handle; its soft flesh makes it easy to cut.

Gu Xixi finished cutting in just a few strokes.

Everyone looked at the pile of persimmon on the board, unable to tell if they were slices or chunks, and their expressions grew complicated.

Aunt Tao tried hard to find a praiseworthy angle, saying, "The host cuts really fast."

Gu Xixi naturally knew her own cooking level, smiling, "Good thing these two dishes don't require fine knife work."

Besides Lv Jing, the others only then realized the host couldn't cook.

At least from watching her cut the vegetables, one could basically tell.

Watching Gu Xixi confidently heat the oil in the pot.

Everyone silently wondered the same thing:

Could the host's cooking possibly be edible?

Brown rice, dried vegetable braised pork, meatball winter melon soup, dry-fried spare ribs, and stir-fried water spinach were all made by Aunt Tao.

Though the variety of dishes wasn't large, they made up for it in quantity, each served in a small basin, filled to the brim.

The fresh vegetables used were grown by Wu Niangzi herself in a cleared patch behind the house.

Only at the end were the two dishes Gu Xixi made herself served.

"Smacked cucumber salad, persimmon scrambled eggs."

"I'm happy today, so everyone try my cooking."

For the persimmon scrambled eggs, she likes to simmer it a bit longer so the persimmon releases its juice and melts.

So no matter how it's cut, it turns out the same in the pot.

Lv Jing jumped in, saying, "These persimmons and cucumbers can be eaten raw."

"We just tried them in the little orchard, and they're delicious!"

The implication is that anything edible raw shouldn't be too hard to make taste bad.

Everyone wore expectant smiles, echoing "Let's try" and "First time eating," and reached for their chopsticks.

Although the persimmon scrambled eggs smelled fragrant and their reddish-yellow color was tempting,

but several adults still chose the seemingly safer smashed cucumber first.

"Huh?" Lv Jing looked at Gu Xixi in surprise, "It's delicious."

Who would have thought that just smashing the cucumber and soaking it in hot, sour, salty, garlicky juice would feel like a complete transformation?

Chen Dafu also nodded repeatedly, saying, "If eaten raw, it's like eating fruit."

"Prepared this way as a cold dish, it becomes a refreshing appetizer that goes well with rice."

"I reckon it would also go well with alcohol."

Wu Niangzi agreed, "Cool and crisp, perfect for today's heat; paired with meat, it really cuts the greasiness."

The adults kept praising the smashed cucumber.

Then two soft, sweet exclamations sounded: "It's so good!"

"Aunt Xixi, is this persimmon? It's really delicious!"

Gu Xixi laughed, saying, "Persimmon scrambled eggs—try scooping it onto rice and mixing it in."

"That's the real winner!"

Xiu Lan and Xiu He obeyed and did as told.

This time they didn't speak again, heads down, just shoveling rice bite after bite.

The adults quickly followed suit,

so the table fell silent for a moment, only seeing a plate of persimmon scrambled eggs rapidly dwindling.

As for these two dishes, Gu Xixi was of course confident.

Tomato scrambled eggs, stir-fried potato shreds, and smashed cucumber can be called the three classic home dishes of later generations.

Not only because the ingredients are common and cheap, with broad acceptance of flavor,

but because the cooking is simple and the failure rate low.

As long as one isn't a culinary idiot of world‑shaking ineptitude, it's not easy to make these three dishes taste bad.

Among them, potato shreds still demand knife skill, so what Gu Xixi can make leaves only the other two.

After the meal, everyone was stuffed.

Wu Niangzi said, "He Er has never liked eggs since childhood,"

"Yet today the host made persimmon scrambled eggs, and she actually ate this much."

The child isn't picky anymore, which of course makes her mother delighted.

Gu Xixi said, "The cucumbers and persimmons from the little orchard are yours to pick and eat anytime."

"It's the right season now—pick them and they'll keep growing; otherwise, if they overripen and rot, it's a waste."

Previously, the conditions for hired workers farming the land didn't include food or lodging.

After all, such generous pay is hard to find even with a lantern.

Yet the host remains this generous.

Chen Dafu and the others, moved, all felt ashamed to accept it.

After Gu Xixi finished eating the cold melon with everyone, she left the farm with Lv Jing.

The three of them returned to the wheat field to continue working, discussing as they went.

Tao's aunt said, "The melons and fruits from the Western Regions are so precious; just tasting them is enough."

"It's not like there are no other vegetables; picking them every day to eat ourselves would be wasteful."

Moreover, the landlord has been good enough to us; feasting excessively would be inappropriate.

Wu Niangzi nodded, "I think so too."

"The landlord's family is kind and doesn't mind this, but can we think of a solution?"

"So that the fruit doesn't rot and the landlord doesn't suffer a loss."

Chen Dafu already had the answer in mind; he pondered and said, "We can only sell it."

The farm is not far from the county town.

Selling the excess fruit and turning it into money for the landlord is the best solution.

Chen Dafu said, "However, we cannot decide this on our own."

"Anything taken out of the farm must have the landlord's approval."

He paused, then said, "First finish the work; after spreading the fertilizer, tomorrow or the day after, I'll make a trip to Huachi Du Cun."

Qing Tian Xiancheng, the rear hall of Zhenbaoge.

Meng Dangni zi looked at the two large, glistening cold melons and smiled:

"Thank you for your kindness; just after picking the first batch of melons and fruits, you thought of us."

"During the holidays, Qinger ate the cold melon you sent and loved it so much that she kept begging me to buy her more."

"She doesn't know how precious this is."

Gu Xixi chuckled, "Qinger likes to eat it; what's the difficulty?"

"For now, it's not as hard to get as in winter; I'll send more later."

Meng Dangni zi said, "This is embarrassing to accept," but did not insist on refusing.

She handed a delicate wooden box to Gu Xixi.

"I recently obtained this clever little device, thinking that since you often travel outdoors, it will surely be useful."

The silver bracelet looks ordinary, with no gems or decorations.

Such items are usually found only at roadside stalls.

Gu Xixi fiddled with it a few times and discovered the mechanism.

Part of the bracelet is hollow; touching the mechanism makes it pop open.

Gu Xixi held it up to the light and saw that inside lay a layer of fine tiny holes.

Meng Dangni zi said, "A few days ago I acquired several pieces of jade from a southwestern merchant."

"He said this bracelet is light, has no decoration, and only the hidden mechanism is somewhat interesting."

"The inner ring of the bracelet can be opened; after closing it again, whether washing hands daily or soaking in water, the contents inside will not get damp."

"If the mechanism is triggered, the contents inside will spray out."

Gu Xixi tried it on the spot with tea water, and it actually sprayed up to half a meter.

Because of the force, the sprayed water can form a mist.

Meng Dangni zi said, "After all, it's just a small gadget, not as powerful as a real crossbow."

Gu Xixi turned around, but her smile was unreservedly open, "Just right for me."